Pen Cerrig-calch
| Pen Cerrig-calch | |
|---|---|
Black Mountains, Wales | |
| OS grid | SO217223 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 161 |
Pen Cerrig-calch is a
trig point. The peak sits high above the River Usk valley as it narrows above the small town of Crickhowell. The views from here are wide-ranging and extend as far as the Beacons themselves to the west. A ridge runs off to the northwest and the shoulder of Pen Gloch-y-pibwr then turns north to the secondary top of Pen Allt-mawr whose peak at 719m is also crowned by a trig point.[1]
Geology
Like all of the hills in the Black Mountains, Pen Cerrig-calch is formed from mudstones and sandstones of the
Carboniferous period
.The rounded southwestern shoulder of the hill ends abruptly at a cliff by the name of Darren (
landslip which most probably occurred in the early post-glacial period. There are many similar landslips in the Black Mountains, where weak strata have been eroded away, and destabilized the strata above. A large area of hummocky ground abounding with boulders of Old Red Sandstone lies across the slopes below Darren.[2]
Archaeology
The most celebrated feature of the hill is the fortification of Crug Hywel, a presumed Iron Age hillfort sitting atop a tilted mass of gritstone on the hill's southeastern spur and otherwise known as Table Mountain. However, there are also ancient cairns on each of the main tops. Small disused quarries once worked for the Old Red Sandstone are scattered across the hill's lower slopes.
Access
The upper parts of the hill are mapped as
Grwyne Fechan to the east. The Beacons Way skirts the hill's southern and western slopes. The most popular route to the summit is the approach up the southeastern spur from Crug Hywel (Table Mountain).[3]
References
- ISBN 1-85284-304-7.
- ^ British Geological Survey 1:50,000 map sheet 214 'Talgarth' & accompanying sheet explanation
- ^ Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL13 'Brecon Beacons National Park: eastern area'